This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide.
A while back, I put out a call in my newsletter asking readers and students to let me write about their daily practice routines on the blog. I was happy to get lots of people willing to share.
Most of my readers and students are working adults or students — so I thought it would be valuable to show how real, everyday people fit bass practice into their busy lives.
Today is number two in the series — meet Ryo!
Contents
Ryo’s Profile
Nickname:
Ryo
Age:
25
Job:
Automotive parts manufacturer, R&D division
Favorite genres and artists:
Jazz, Rock
Scott LaFaro, Marcus Miller, Billy Sheehan
How long he’s been playing bass:
7 years — started at 18
Basses he plays:
Ibanez SRH500F (fretless bass)
Hallstatt WBSE-850 (upright bass)
Fender Japan Jazz Bass
BUSKER’S Jazz Bass
Mavis PJ Bass
What got him started:
A friend’s band needed a bassist and he got recruited — with zero musical experience.
What he loves about bass:
The deep, soul-shaking low end. And how cool it looks.
Current activity:
In December 2018, he co-founded a jazz band called DeepValley with working-adult musicians. They play primarily in Tokyo and Kanagawa.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasst_friends/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeKF-dl6ZF_nWEixdPjdszw
The stunning band photo above was shot by their bandmate and professional photographer, Yudai Saki (@mis0panda).
What he’s practicing:
Improvisation — something he’s been wrestling with ever since he got into jazz. Lately, after some focused lessons, he says understanding is finally starting to click, little by little. “Don’t overplay” was his big recent insight.
A word from Ryo:
“Bass is seriously cool and so much fun. I’m happiest when I’m listening to bass — or when I’m playing it. I’ll keep working hard under your guidance, Teacher Hoshino!”
Ryo has a character that reminds me of my younger self — which makes him impossible to dislike (laughs). The bass duo sessions we do at the end of lessons always get pretty intense!
Ryo’s Two-Week Practice Log
Day 1 (Mon)
23:00–23:20 — “Softly As in a Morning Sunrise”: bass line, melody, and improv practice (electric bass).
Day 2 (Tue)
7:00–7:10 — Scale practice (upright).
23:00–23:10 — A tune called “Feel Like”: bass line, melody, and improv practice (electric).
Day 3 (Wed)
7:00–7:10 — Chromatic exercises (electric).
Day 4 (Thu)
6:00–6:30 — Copied phrase 17 from the daily phrase series, then improv practice on “Autumn Leaves” (electric).
7:00–7:10 — Scale practice (upright).
Morning practices like this at the crack of dawn are seriously impressive…
Day 5 (Fri)
22:00–22:10 — Improv practice over a backing track (electric).
Day 6 (Sat)
12:30–13:00 — Scale practice (upright).
13:00–13:30 — Band cover song practice (electric).
Day 7 (Sun)
12:00–14:00 — Band rehearsal.
14:00–18:00 — Jam session.
Day 8 (Mon)
Got home at 23:00, tried to practice but fell asleep. No practice.
Day 9 (Tue)
22:00–22:30 — Band cover song practice (electric).
Day 10 (Wed)
22:00–22:10 — Band cover song practice (electric).
Day 11 (Thu)
23:00–23:10 — Scale practice (upright).
Day 12 (Fri)
Went out drinking, got completely smashed. No practice.
Day 13 (Sat)
10:00–11:00 — Scale practice, “Softly As in a Morning Sunrise” melody practice (upright).
14:00–15:00 — Lesson with me.
Day 14 (Sun)
9:00–9:30 — Improv practice over a backing track (electric).
Looking at his overall log — one thing I genuinely believe works best for progress is morning practice. When your brain hasn’t taken in any other information yet, deeply focused scale and technique work just goes in so much more efficiently. Ryo is already showing up to sessions all over the place. If you ever cross paths with this bassist at a venue somewhere — go say hi!
Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?
This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.
At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.
Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.